Device for the production of artificial fogs



Feb. 4, 1941.

B. ZAEEBAN DEVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL FOGS Filed ot. 21,71938 176. 7 l

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Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR THEPRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL FOGS Benvenuto Zabban, Monte Carlo, Monaco 8Claims.

Many methods and devices have already been proposed for the productionof artificial fogs, most of which were based upon the atomizing by meansof .a jet of compressed fluid of a liquid on which said jet comes to actby means of an injector or equivalent member.

In the known devices, and in particular those of the kind including oneor several fluid outlet orifices in the form of pairs of coacting thinslits.

or slots, constancy of the size and relationship of said slit isdifficult to ensure or maintain.

The present invention has for its object, in devices of the kind setforth, the use between the two elements limiting the slit of a spacingl5 member such that the eventual play in .the assembly of these elementscannot exert any action upon the value and regularity of the dimensionsof the slit and this even for dimensions below one tenth of amillimeter. This arrangement insures simultaneously the regularity ofthe projection, the possibility of adjusting the size of said orificewith a view to adapting it to the physical or chemical characteristicsof the fluid or liquid to be projected, and the possibility of easycleaning of this orifice and also of instantaneous adjustment of theapparatus after cleaning.

When carrying out the process which is the object of the invention, thatis to say when making two concentric, thin slots of constant value,

arranged as above indicated, I have discovered an effect which isunexpected and surprising, to wit: that the apparatus thus devised workin a perfect manner when immersed inside any liquid. Therefore it isthus possible to produce a fog as dense as it is desired, this fog beingmade of droplets of very small size, therefore of very high superficialtension, and rigorously dry.

From the preceding, it results that the process and devices which arethe objects of the invention permit of producing a dense and dry fog ofhomogeneous composition, or again-when making simultaneously use ofseveral apparatus working in several liquids-of heterogeneouscomposition. Inthis latter case, the mixture is extremely intimate andtherefore permits of obtaining condensates made of liquids whichnormally would not be mixable.

The invention also permits of obtaining, in a 50 chamber of invariablevolume, and in which there is a constant pressure, any concentration ofliquid in suspension.

The processes and devices obviously involve a considenable number ofapplications and corre- 55 spond .in particular, but without beinglimited thereto, to medicine, hygiene, sanitation, agriculture,viticulture, horticulture, and so on, the destruction, or on thecontrary, the preservation of living organisms, the impregnation andpreservation of any surfaces or objects, the formation 5 of films onsuch objects or surfaces, the production and neutralization of poisonousatmospheres, the formation of heterogeneous mixtures, in particular ofcombustible and explosive mixtures, and so on. l0

In order to explain the invention, I shall hereinafter describe severalembodiments, shown diagrammatically and by way of example which are notin any way limitative on the appended drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section view, and

Fig. 2 a horizontal sectional view along the axis ZZ of an embodiment ofthe device which is the object of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of an embodiment 29 showing the apparatusworking when immersed;

Fig. 4 shows a modification of construction.

The apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 is constituted by a central body I onwhich are juxtaposed two members 2 and 4 providing between them a pairof radially spaced and aligned annular slots the height of which isdetermined and maintained by the thickness of the distance member orleaf 3. This distance piece or leaf made for instance of cut metal, maybe of any desired form and it has been shown by way of example in theform of a three branch star in Fig. 2.

The fluid under pressure arrives through the port 5 opening into theseries of transverse apertures 6 into the center of chamber 1, fromwhich it escapes radially through the annular slots between the opposedconcentric edge portions of members 2 and 4.

On its passage through the radially spaced annular slots formed by thecylindrical inner wall of cap 4a and the inner cooperating slot formingcylindrical edge portion 2a of the lower half of the member 2, the fluidunder pressure drives and tears off the liquid, which is sucked from avessel located below through the axial port 9, which opens into theseries of transverse apertures Ill, hence up between the radially spacedannular pairs of slot forming edge portions 2a4a and 2b-4b.

The fog thus produced therefore escapes along line ZZ, of Fig. 1.

Practice has taught that in some cases where the adjustment can beconsidered as adapted to remain invariable and also in the case wherethe space available for the apparatus is very small,

or for any other reason, the device such as described in particular byFigs. 1 and 2 can undergo modifications according .to which the spacingmember of incompressible material is replaced by projections provided onone or the other of the faces limiting the passage of the fluid. Theseprojections may be of any desired shape and number and they may beobtained either by removal of matter or byfixing, onto or in the facethat is considered, elements of constant height playing the same part.

When the space that is available is very much reduced, it may be ofinterest to dispense with the upper part of the central body of theapparatus and .to utilize a shortened cen-tnal body, the upper cap beingscrewed in a base provided with sufficient notches for permittinglateral atomizing on the desired angles of dispersion, inclination andaperture.

Fig. 3 represents the apparatus l3 of Fig. 1, immersed in the liquid l5contained in a vessel H, provided with its lid l2, The fluid underpressure is fed through the tube Iii, and the liquid is sucked through.a suitable filter M which serves to retain the impurities and dustwhich may be present in the liquid. The fog escapes through the liquidmass 15, its big droplets being retained on their passage by said mass.The mist issuing through the orifice I1 is thus constituted by liquidparticles of a very small mass and of a very high superficial tension.

Fig. 4 shows an apparatus with an adjustable mechanical device for thesorting of the droplets. It is constituted by the vessel 18 providedwith a frusto-conical envelope 20, on the inside of which is mounted thecentral body 28, surrounded by a concentric tube 26 and covered by thecap 24, the rod 23 of which acts. as a slideway for the deflector 2|which can be fixed at the desired height by means of the screw 22. Theposition of the deflector 2| can therefore vary in height, as indicatedin dotted lines. The fluid under pressure arrives through the axial holeprovided in the body 28 opening through the transverse holes 3| into thechamber 32, from which it escapes radially through the circular slotexisting between the flaring of the central body 28 and the lower cheeksof the cap 24, this orifice being conditioned by the interposition ofthe cut away distance .piece 25.

The liquid is aspirated through the filter 21, the channel 29 and theholes 30 for coming to the annular surface comprised between the flaringof the body 28 and the inner walls of the tube 26. The fog thereforeescapes in the horizontal plane and, striking the inclined walls of theenvelope 20, it is broken and projected toward .the deflector 2!, whichagain breaks it so that the particles escaping through the aperture 33of the envelope are compelled to undergo the dividing and sorting effectadjusted at will.

Although I have above described only some embodiments and applicationsof the device which is the object of the invention, it is obvious thatthe latter extends also .to many modifications.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for the production of artificial fog which comprises, incombination, two sets of coaxial cylindrical members arranged end to endwith their adjacent edges opposite each other so as to leave a thin slotbetween said edges, central means in one of said members for feeding acompressed fluid to said slot, means in the other member for feeding aliquid to be disintegrated across the path of said compressed fluid onitsway to said slot, and incompressible spacing means located betweensaid members for maintaining the size of said slot.

2. An apparatus for the production of artificial fog which comprises abody having two pairs of coaxial members arranged end to end with theiradjacent edges located opposite each other in slightly spacedrelationship providing two relatively thin concentric slots between saidedges, said body being adapted to be immersed in a liquid to bedisintegrated, central means in one of said pair of members for feedingcompressed fluid through the inner of said slots, means in the otherpair of members for conveying the liquid therethrough and into the pathof fluid discharge from said inner slot for common discharge through theouter of said slots, and incompressible spacing means interposed betweensaid adjacent edges of said members for maintaining the size of saidslots uniform.

3. An apparatus for the production of artificial fog comprising, avessel adapted to contain a liquid to be disintegrated, two pair ofcoaxial members arranged end to end with their adjacent edges locatedopposite each other so as to leave two thin concentric slots betweensaid edges, said members being adapted to be located in said vessel withthe outer of said slots immersed in the liquid in said vessel, centralmeans in one of said pair of members for feeding compressed fluid to theinner of said slots, means in the other pair of members for conveyingthe liquid in the vessel into the path of fluid discharge from saidinner slot for common discharge through said outer slot, andincompressible spacing means interposed between said members formaintaining the size of said slots uniform.

4. An apparatus for the production of artificial fog comprising, avessel adapted to contain a liquid to be disintegrated, two concentricsets of members arranged end to end with their adjacent edges locatedopposite each other so as to leave two thin circular slots between saidedges, said members being located within said vessel, central means inone of said members for feeding compressed fluid through the inner ofsaid slots, means in the other member for feeding a liquid to bedisintegrated into the path of fluid discharge from the inner of saidslots for common discharge through the outer of said slots,incompressible spacing means interposed between said members formaintaining the size of said slots uniform, said vessel having anaperture in the top thereof, and

fog comprising, a body having two concentric sets of coaxially disposedmembers in end to end relationship, said members having their adjacentedges located opposite each other in slightly spaced relation so as toleave two thin radially spaced circular slots betwen said edges, one ofsaid members cooperating with said body to provide: a chamber openinginto the inner of said slots, means in said body opening into saidchamber for feeding compressed fluid thereinto, the

other member forming with said body an annular recess opening into thepassage between said concentric sets of members, means in said bodyopening into said annular recess for feeding liquid.

thereinto for disintegration thereof, and income pressible spacing meansinterposed between said members for maintaining the size of saidradially spaced slots uniform.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4 in which the aperture at the top ofthe vessel is in line with the axis of said concentric sets of elements,and the deflector means is adjustable along said axis relative to saidaperture.

8. An apparatus for the production of artificial fog comprisingccaxially arranged members having two sets of opposed slot forming edgeportions, an incompressible spacing means located between and supportingsaid sets of edge portions in predetermined spaced relationship wherebyradially spaced and aligned discharge slots of fixed dimensions areprovided, means in one memher for feeding a compressed fluid between theopposed edge portions comprising the inner slot, and means in the othermember for feeding a disintegrating liquid between said sets of slotforming edge portions and across the path of fluid discharge from saidinner slot for common discharge between the opposed edge portions com-10 prising the outer slot.

BENVENUTO ZABBAN.

